Politics

Divided Turkey holds snap elections amid rising security and economic fears BY Staff Reporter ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Nov 1): Turks began casting their votes on Sunday against a backdrop of economic and security concerns. The vote comes after failure to create a coalition government following June elections. The parliamentary elections–that were suddenly called–are set to decide the fate of the

BY Nick Tattersall and Orhan Coskun ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) – President Tayyip Erdogan is unambiguous about what he wants from an election on Sunday, casting it as a pivotal moment for Turkey: a return to the single-party rule he presided over for more than a decade until June. The outcome of the second parliamentary election this

A crisis of waste management in Lebanon prompts a protest movement that shows no signs of abating BY Nour Samaha Newsweek Middle East Web Exclusive BEIRUT: What started out with just 10 people on the streets protesting against an old garbage problem soon escalated to crowds in the tens of thousands, demanding an overhaul of

BEIRUT (Reuters) Neither Syria‘s main political opposition body nor representatives of the armed opposition have been invited to international talks on the country’s war, an opposition politician and a rebel leader said. The Syrian government in Damascus has meanwhile yet to issue any official comment on the meeting in Vienna on Friday that will bring

Saleh described his skillful manipulation of Yemeni tribes as ‘dancing over the heads of snakes,’ but did the Snake Charmer finally run out of tricks? Or are the serpents still dancing to his flute? BY Ammar Aulaqi IN THE EARLY morning hours of May 10, 2015, Sana’a was rocked by five consecutive explosions. As clouds of

Reuters/Staff 10/25/2015 MOSCOW/BEIRUT – Shortly after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited Kremlin last week, he is ready to call for parliamentary and presidential elections if necessary, according to Russian lawmakers. Moscow said Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov discussed Syria with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry twice at the weekend, and spoke to his Iranian and

Reuters/Correspondent 10/22/2015 LONDON/MOSCOW– In the past few weeks Russia has increased its support for ally President Bashar al-Assad by sending more than 100 cargo vessels to the main Syrian ports of Latakia and Tartous, which has become the biggest buildup in shipping for over a year. According to maritime intelligence and international trade sources’ shipping

Reuters/Correspondent 10/22/2015 ANKARA– Iran should not give up principal elements of its atomic program until accusations of past military dimensions have been stabilized, said Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The statement comes after approving the state’s nuclear deal with world powers on Wednesday, Oct. 22. Khameni ordered the July 14 agreement to be implemented

Reuters/Correspondent 24/10/2015 AMMAN/JERUSALEM – An idea to install cameras throughout Jerusalem to ease rising tension between Palestinians and Israelis has been accepted by both sides through a joint effort by US and Jordan. Speaking in Amman after meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah, US Secretary of State

The White House condemned Russia’s “red carpet welcome” for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Moscow on Wednesday, saying that the visit was counter-productive to a political transition in the country. Assad arrived in Moscow on Tuesday to meet with his most powerful foreign ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in what was his first foreign visit